Tuesday, March 6, 2018

Go Further with Food

Submitted by Guest Blogger Shawn Paton, Director, Volunteer Engagement, Community Building & Investments, United Way of Pierce County

In Pierce County, where obesity and chronic disease diagnosis
rates are higher than the national average, nutrition education is an important
piece to increasing the health and well-being of our residents. Health-related
issues directly attributable to food insecurity include: asthma, COPD, type 2
diabetes, obesity, arthritis, gout, lupus, fibromyalgia, as well as anemia and
hospitalizations for children. Indirect health costs related to hunger include
dental issues, increased doctor and emergency room visits and increased need
for prescription medications.

What contributes to poor nutrition?

One in six
households in our community cannot afford enough food for all household members
to lead healthy lives.

Some families lack transportation, so they are unable to
access grocery stores or even food banks. For those living in food deserts--
where the closest food source is a corner store or mini-mart featuring high
priced, unhealthy food options-- it is difficult to find affordable,
high-quality fresh food. For some, the barrier is knowledge about how to plan
meals, shop on a budget or prepare healthy meals at home.

In the past, cooking skills were passed down from generation
to generation, but this trend has been broken, with many parents working
multiple jobs to make ends meet leaving little time for home-cooked meals, resulting
in millions of people across the country lacking even the most basic food
preparation skills. The Hunger-Free Pierce County Collaborative is working
together to help all Pierce County residents lead healthier lives through
nutrition education projects.

Colorful Cooking Made Easy is a nutrition education program
featuring trained volunteers who perform cooking demonstrations at local food
banks, teach cooking and nutrition classes and lead grocery store tours all
designed to help families learn how to shop for and prepare healthy meals from
scratch.Skills taught during Colorful
Cooking Made Easy programming include meal planning, shopping on a budget,
healthy cooking and help to make healthy eating a daily reality.

The hunger collaborative food bank partners are also working
to help individuals and families understand the importance of selecting
healthier food options by making it easy for food bank visitors to find those
options among the various products available. Colorful Cooking Made Easy food
bank cooking demonstrators take fresh produce in stock at the pantry that day
and create healthy, delicious and simple meals, providing clients with the
recipes and ingredients to take home and prepare themselves. The emergency food
system is also working to increase the amount of fresh produce, dairy and
proteins available for food bank clients.

How can you help change the story for individuals and
families in Pierce County? There are many ways to get involved in the fight
against hunger in our community. Host a food or dairy drive. Hold a soup kit
making project. Volunteer to lead a cooking class or grocery store to learn
more and to get involved!